At least 27,000 detained, including hundreds of children, whereabouts of huge numbers unknown

House-to-House Raids to Identify and Arrest Injured Protesters

The Center for Human Rights in Iran

January 23, 2026 — Nearly one month after the outbreak of nationwide protests across Iran that were crushed by state security forces at a cost of over 14,000 dead, Iranian authorities have intensified their violent suppression of the Iranian people, employing:

• Mass arbitrary arrests, including of children, with whereabouts unknown
• Thousands of detainees unable to contact families or lawyers
• Violent house raids and strip searches to identify and arrest injured civilians
• Mass forced “confessions”
• Lawyers barred from prosecutors’ offices, prevented from taking on protesters’ cases

There is a growing risk of executions, and serious concerns regarding the safety of political prisoners. The internet blackout is still largely in place across the country, obscuring true numbers and further regime atrocities.

“After killing thousands of civilians, the Islamic Republic is now going house to house to punish those who dared to protest and crush any potential flicker of further resistance,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

“Tens of thousands of detainees in Iran are now at grave risk, as are untold numbers of injured protesters who are desperately trying to escape identification by rampaging security forces,” Ghaemi said.

“This regime is staying in power by continuing to commit mass atrocities; the world should not facilitate this, governments must ostracize this criminal regime in every way—politically and economically,” Ghaemi added.

CHRI calls on governments worldwide to:

• Recall ambassadors and sever or downgrade diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic.
• Work with tech companies to immediately employ all available technologies to enable safe, free internet access across Iran so the regime’s full atrocities are uncovered.
• Vigorously enhance enforcement of oil sanctions to stem the flow of revenue to the regime’s repressive apparatus.

Mass Arrests, Including Children, Enforced Disappearances

According to the latest available information, at least 27,000 people have been arrested nationwide by security forces, including the Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization.

Findings by the CHRI indicate that hundreds of children have been detained during these mass arrests. In many cases, authorities have failed to disclose the location of detention or even the identity of the detaining body, raising serious concerns about enforced disappearances.

Brutal and Unprecedented Arrest Methods

In addition to the sheer scale of arrests, security forces have adopted increasingly violent and blatantly illegal methods, escalating repression to unprecedented levels.

Documented methods include:

• Violent raids on private homes and arbitrary arrests
• Strip searches in homes to identify and arrest wounded protesters
• Arrests of wounded protesters during medical treatment and after discharge from hospitals
• Arbitrary detention of children and their transfer to adult detention facilities
• Transfer of detainees, including children, to undisclosed locations
• Denial of detainees’ contact with families and lawyers
• Threats against families regarding the possible execution of detainees
• The extraction and broadcasting of forced “confessions” to lay the groundwork for fast-tracked prosecutions

Hospital Raids and Door-to-Door Searches

CHRI has documented cases in which security forces raided hospitals to identify and arrest protesters injured during demonstrations. Some wounded individuals were detained before receiving medical treatment, others during treatment, and some immediately after discharge, and were transferred to unknown locations.

In several cities—including Malekshahi, Kermanshah, Azna, Nurabad, and Karaj—security forces conducted door-to-door searches, subjecting residents in their homes to strip searches and physical inspections to look for signs of protest-related injuries and arresting individuals based on those findings.

Lawyers Blocked, Families Kept in the Dark

At the same time, as arrests continue daily, well-known human rights lawyers are being systematically barred from entering prosecutor’s offices and security institutions, denied access to any information about detainees’ cases, and prevented from taking on cases, stripping thousands of detainees of their right to legal representation and due process.

A human rights lawyer in Karaj told CHRI:

“The issue is not merely the registration of new powers of attorney or following up on newly detained individuals; rather, well-known human rights lawyers are fundamentally being barred from entering prosecutor’s offices and security institutions.”

Another lawyer in Tehran told CHRI:

“Regarding the Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, families are not informed of charges or detention locations, leaving both families and their lawyers in a state of extreme uncertainty. There is still no accurate estimate of the number of detainees, but many thousands have no access to legal services.”

Another knowledgeable source in Iran told CHRI:

“Phone calls and visits with prisoners have been cut off, and there is no information about prison conditions. Prisoners have no contact with either their families or their lawyers.”

The current situation is especially dangerous as the whereabouts of many detainees remain unknown, significantly heightening the risk of torture, enforced disappearance, and other egregious abuses.

Children Arbitrarily Detained

Reports from multiple provinces, including Kermanshah and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, confirm the arbitrary detention of schoolchildren. Less than ten days after the protests began, the Teachers’ Trade Association Council released the names of 111 detained students, warning that the true number was likely far higher. These figures reflect only the early days of the protests.

On January 12, Sohaila Hejab, a political prisoner held in Kachouii Prison in Karaj, reported in a message published by former dual-national prisoner Kylie Gilbert that approximately 100 underage girls, some as young as 10 to 12 years old, are currently being held in the prison. Many had reportedly been denied contact with their families for several days.

Forced Confessions Broadcast on State Media

State-controlled media have played a key role in the repression, broadcasting forced confessions by protesters on an unprecedented scale. Since the beginning of the protests, at least 167 forced confessions have already been aired.

These false confessions are routinely used as the sole evidence to convict, including in capital cases where the death penalty may be imposed. The Islamic Republic has a long record of using televised confessions—obtained through torture, coercion, or threats—to fabricate criminal cases against detained protesters, and justify prolonged imprisonment or death sentences.

Virtual Martial Law in Many Cities

Findings by CHRI indicate that a martial law atmosphere remains in place in many cities across Iran. In some cities, for example in Kermanshah (Kermanshah province), and Khorramabad (Lorestan Province) curfews are in place and enforced by security forces.

IRGC forces are heavily present in several cities—including Isfahan (Isfahan province), Khorramabad (Lorestan province), Sanandaj (Kurdistan province), and Kermanshah (Kermanshah province)—with video footage showing them driving through the city streets with heavy military weapons, such as DShK machine guns mounted on their vehicles, in order to intimidate and instill fear among the population.

Imminent Risks of Execution

There are grave concerns regarding imminent and upcoming executions, including potentially mass executions, especially given repeated remarks by the Islamic Republic’s judiciary chief, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, who has stated that the judiciary will show “no leniency” and has called for expedited trials and executions.

On January 20, Amnesty International warned of the imminent execution of Amirhossein Ghadirizadeh, a 19-year-old footballer from Rasht.

Security forces raided the family home on January 9, forcibly stripping Amirhossein and his two sisters—one of them 14 years old—to inspect their bodies for metal pellets in an attempt to “prove” participation in protests. After identifying pellet wounds on Amirhossein’s body, authorities arrested him.

On January 17, a court informed Amirhossein Ghadirizadeh that he had been sentenced to execution by hanging on charges of “treason against the country.” His family was subsequently notified that the sentence was to be carried out on January 21, but as of this writing, he has not yet been executed.

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